Tuesday, April 30, 2013

New Starts and Spring Veggies

Hey-O, peeps! Happy Tuesday! What are you all up to today? Have you guys started looking around for what you might get your mother for Mother's Day? It's in less than two weeks, and for once I've acted early and gotten my mom a six-month subscription to Birchbox. My mom loves trying new beauty products, so basically I'm setting her up with a "crack" dealer so she can discover new products to which she will become addicted. I'm such a good daughter.

Speaking of new products, I purchased some new running shoes yesterday. You guys like?




This is my second pair of Nike shoes, which I didn't used to buy for running since, let's face it, if you're a runner you're probably wearing Asics or Mizuno or Brooks--not Nike. But I bought these because I wanted a pair of really comfy shoes--that also happened to be kinda cute--to wear to my new job at the Humane Society! Yes! I'm not going to be unemployed all summer! I got the job for which I applied recently, and start training in two weeks. I'll be working thirty hours per week, probably Thursday-Saturday, so I'll need some shoes that give my feet, legs, and back a bit of a break. It's not that I'll be standing or walking the whole time, but since my feet, legs, and back seem to get sore now that I'm knocked up I figured I better be prepared.

My job title is "Adoption Specialist," which just means that I'm like an animal adoption counselor and facilitator. Obviously I've never done the job before and am thus unsure about how much I'll like/love it, but it is nice to know that I'll be making some money and being somewhat useful in the months before I give birth and right after. Hopefully by Spring semester 2014 I'll be able to pick up a few lit/writing classes at CU Boulder or a local community college too. Or, maybe I'll just decide to be a stay at home mom and spend my days googling new products for my baby.

Lastly, asparagus is really tasty right now.




You should get some and roast it with olive oil, s + p, and lemon juice. It's good, though apparently not as good as the white asparagus they eat more frequently in Europe and in France especially. Read all about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/01/dining/white-asparagus-frances-spring-treat.html

Mine looks prettier.

*Have you ever had white asparagus? What's it like?

Monday, April 29, 2013

Weekend Shorty

Yah, photo shorty if you will, since this pre-momma is dragging ass and ready to cease brain functioning. The weekend was full, though, so here are the highlights!

First up: my first trip to the annual Boulder Farmer's Market.




(I wasn't the only one who went this weekend for the first time either.) I went by myself after a class at my gym and before I volunteered for a Humane Society gala event. I looked at the locally grown produce, but really, I went for lunch. See?




That's a spicy corn tamale with pinto beans and green chili. It was, in case you can't tell from the picture,  pretty delicious.

I also had the top off of this banana blueberry muffin:




I ate all this while sitting in the grass and enjoying the seventy-degree temperatures. It was pretty nice. We're getting more snow this week, by the way. If you don't hear from me on Thursday (the day after the snow storm is supposed to arrive), then you'll know why.

View from the Coors Events Center, where I went next to volunteer for the Humane Society:




The other big event that happened this weekend was that David and I went down to Greenwood Village, Colorado to babysit his niece and nephew for the night while their parents are in Hawaii. We drove down on Sunday and spent the afternoon at a park, playing basketball and, OK, I admit it, sitting in the shade and reading Call the Midwife on my iPhone. What?? My feet hurt from standing too much at the Humane Society gala, so I took full advantage of some time in the shade on a reclining patio chair.

David, however, was forced to climb a tree in order to get our rogue volleyball.




After the park, we headed to dinner at a local Chinese restaurant, where we (apparently) ordered everything on the menu.




Chinese food isn't usually my most favorite, but the tofu and broccoli dish I had really hit the spot last night. Actually, I should clarify that. I actually love Chinese food, if by "Chinese Food" you mean greasy fried rice or deep fried tofu. But I can't usually bring myself to order those things and so I guess Chinese food ends up getting a bad rap in my book. Talk about race discrimination, geez.

*What do you order at a Chinese restaurant?

Friday, April 26, 2013

BBQ and Booze

People! It's almost (f-ing) May! Am I the only one who was totally duped by all the blizzards and snowstorms into thinking that it was still very much winter? It's probably a good thing that I didn't notice it was almost May, since I would've been even more pissed that it was blizzarding last week.

In other news, I accidentally ate brie cheese last night and didn't die! David and I had a good time at our friend's bbq. He made Mark Bittman's veggie burgers and while I didn't take pictures, they were tasty! That brings me to my next point, which is about bbqs in general. I mean barbecues, as in, grills. We do not have a grill, largely because vegetarians don't tend to need a bbq grill in the same way that meat eaters do. I've been thinking about getting one recently though, mostly so we could grill veggies and veggie burgers and maybe even have meat eaters over. So, do you have a grill? For what do you use it?

Since today is Friday I went to bootcamp this morning. Sigh. I'm tired. I had an energy-boosting lunch though, so that's good. I had superfood salad from Whole Foods:




And sweet-chili tofu:




I also tried a new-to-me beverage.




I'm not usually a fan of beverages that say "10 Calories!!!" on the label, since that usually means they have some artificial crap in them. But this is just seltzer water with lime juice and raspberry puree. And it's quite refreshing!

And now, my friends, I'm going to lay on the couch, look up random crap on the internet, read a mediocre book (for book club), and just generally veg out on this lovely Friday afternoon. Tonight we're going to a party in Denver, so me and this baby need some rest beforehand.

*On a related note to that last paragraph, what would going out socially be like for you if you couldn't drink alcohol? Would you look forward to it less, or would you be just as excited or interested in going to parties? What would you drink instead?

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Thursday Haps

So it's Thursday and it's not snowing. Wow. So many reasons to be grateful, right? When I woke up this morning this little bird was perched outside my door, so I decided to be positive all day long.




Sadly, David said something that irritated me this morning, so instead I'm going to make today a day where I say things that are positive, but with a sarcastic or bitter tone. Sounds fun, right? Kind of like having a craft project all day long, only less decorative than a knitted sweater or a hand-painted picture frame.

I'm getting ready to go to a class at my gym and, as usual, my Thursday schedule is a bit full and a bit uncertain. I always have my shift at the Humane Society on Thursdays, though I never know exactly what time until late in the morning. Also, there is a lecture in my department this afternoon that I should go to. And finally, David and I have been invited to have a veggie burger bbq at a friend's house this evening, so I figured I better get my blog on before departing for a longish day.

I don't really have much to report, except that David and I are trying out all the new baby stuff that we got at the consignment sale last weekend.

This is David making sure that our baby swing works properly.






So far it's all fun and jokes about how much time baby is going to spend in there so I can watch all my fav TV shows and read novels. I suspect it might be less funny come fall... But really, it's actually quite sweet--the little thing at the top plays soothing sounds and music and rotates little stuffed toys. Who wouldn't want to sleep and/or spend all day in there (quietly).

Heh.

*Does your partner think it is okay to wear Crocs just because s/he is indoors?

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Geek on Holiday

Now that I've finished the final corrections for my dissertation I'm basically free to do whatever I want every day. It's strange. I keep feeling like I have something--some project--that I ought to be working, but...nope! As I mentioned before, I did interview for a part-time position at the humane society, about which I'm waiting to hear back. Until then, I'm just soaking up the lack of responsibility and getting excited for graduation, which is on May 10.

Today was a good example of this. I went to my usual bootcamp class, and then showered. Then I dropped off some jeans (my first pair of maternity jeans) to be hemmed. After that I went to lunch at Native Foods, where I drank a refreshing glass of their watermelon fresca.




I'm not sure exactly what this is, but it tastes like watermelon juice--not very sweet and with a strong watermelon flavor.

For lunch, I had a small side salad and the saigon rolls:






Sadly, I did not eat the sprouts on that salad because apparently they are a high risk e.coli food that, if given the chance, will wreak havoc on me and my little "bun." I'm unconvinced by some of the hysteria surrounding what pregnant women eat, but maybe because I was raised Catholic I still follow the rules.

After lunch I really did up the relaxation day and went to see the movie 42.

After that, I went across town to Michael's, where I was on a mission to get frames for some artwork that was sent to me by my blog friend, Joanna of Midwestern Bite! Unfortunately, Joanna, I forgot to look and see what size the pictures are. Crafting fail! I did, however, look nostalgically at the threads that I used to use for making friendship bracelets.




Did anyone but me make bracelets with this stuff? Oh how exciting it was to look at the skeins of colorful threads and think about the possible color combinations!!! I used to cross stitch too, people. I know, pretty hip. Maybe I'll go tell David these little details and see if he regrets marrying such a geek. Geez, if I had only been good at drawing or painting I could've been angsty and geeky in a hot way--like, with paint under my fingernails and hot/cute glasses. Whatever. I was geeky before it was hot. Like geeky un-adulterated. Yah.

*Were you a legitimate geek? (And, let me save you the trouble: if you were on a dance/cheer team then you were _not_ geeky, regardless of whatever your eye wear consisted of.)

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Last Snow Storm?

(Fingers crossed.)

Yes, we got more snow yesterday and today. Probably a foot, actually. By now you can guess how I feel about that. The storms keep coming on Monday-Tuesday too, which is bad for me since Tuesday is the only day when David is on campus from 11-8 p.m. This means that either I go with him and stay in town for the entire day, which is exhausting when you're pregnant and have nowhere to go and take a nap, or it means that I take the one car we have that is good in the snow, go to the gym early, get home before David leaves, and spend the rest of the day inside. I've done this for the last four Tuesdays, and it is getting old, people. Nobody likes to be snowed in repeatedly, am I right? Especially in late April, when I should be breaking out my spring and summer dresses.

OK, snow storm rant over. Hopefully this will be the last we all hear of snow. Well, excepting the photos below, which I took when I went to gym early this morning. The roads in town were terrible, I'm guessing because the city and state are literally running out of money to plow since it just keeps snowing.








The only "people" who didn't seem affected by the poor road conditions and late-season snow were these guys:




While that might look like a llama, it's really a deer hanging out with some of its deer friends.

To celebrate another snow day, I cleaned the house. Womp womp. When I clean the house I usually think about my grandmothers and their grandmothers, who cleaned the house, did all the cooking and laundry, and raised like seven kids. WTF??!! Why anyone would want to get married and have kids aroundabouts that time mystifies me. Even more so if you consider that when my great-grandmother was growing up a fair bit of people didn't have indoor plumbing and certainly didn't have the luxury of a washing machine to do all their laundry. I mean, it's not that they didn't own a washing machine, but rather, they hadn't been invented yet.

*What's something that your grandmother or great-grandmother had to do or deal with that impresses you?

Monday, April 22, 2013

Pasta and Parties!

It's a good thing the weekend started off with this:




Since Saturday was my niece's birthday party and I felt compelled to eat some of this:




Wow, right? You should've seen baby chow into that little pink cake. Messy hands won't stop this girl from getting her sugar fix!




FYI, David and I will most definitely not be having an angelic blond baby. My guess is that she will come out with snot and drool already in whatever brown hair she has.

Before going to the birthday shindig in the afternoon, David and I did another kid/baby thing and went to a huge baby consignment sale in East Boulder. I had never been to one before, but basically it's where yuppie Boulderites sell off their expensive baby gear when they're done with it. We got a ton of baby stuff that we needed--all costing much, much less than they would cost new. I haven't mentioned this here, but I don't think that I'll be having a baby shower, so all this stuff is really necessary. You know, since we didn't have a baby swing before getting pregnant. (For Ruki?)

After Saturday's hectic pace I was really looking forward to a relaxing Sunday. First things first: prenatal yoga. This was kind of a big deal for me, since I generally dislike most yoga and am suspicious of anything that is marketed just to pregnant peeps. I took a class at Yo Mama Yoga, and I'd say it was about what I expected, i.e., not much of a workout and a lot more about stretching, visualizing, and breathing. In other words, I would never do this regularly if I weren't knocked up. But, on the off chance that going to prenatal yoga will make this baby magically exit from my body with little to no pain, I'm going to start going once per week. I don't think I could take more than that, so hopefully that's enough.

Sunday afternoon was filled with more resting, followed by a short hike with David and Haruki and then dinner. I had been wanting a bowl of pasta for awhile, so I made some whole wheat spaghetti with roasted zucchini:






I was pretty proud of myself for cooking dinner instead of toasting an english muffin and eating frozen broccoli.

*How recently did you eat cake?

Friday, April 19, 2013

Phlebotomy Friday

Happy Weekend! Whew! For being recently relieved of almost all work I sure do like it when the weekend comes. There is just a slightly greater degree of relaxation that happens, I think, at least for meeeeez. Also helping with the relaxation is that I finished my final corrections on my dissertation and submitted it to the university. Double whew!

Today has been a pretty good Friday all round. I went to bootcamp, came home for lunch and to submit my dissertation, and then went back down to town to run oodles of errands. I had to go to Home Depot to get top soil for the trees that we planted last year. I had to go to Target to get a party bag for my niece Ella, who's first birthday party is tomorrow. I had to go to the pet store to buy a shit-ton of dog food for our little princess Haruki. And I also had to give a boatload of blood at the hospital for some pregnancy tests. On a side note, being a phlebotomist must be a very strange job. I mean, imagine purposefully taking a very sharp object and pushing it through someone's skin. Weird, yes?

Also, did I mention that I went to the grocery store? While I was there I was delighted to see a lot of loose strawberries.




It was like a real market instead of a corporate grocery store. Cute, right?

Also cute? I think I might've felt baby move today. That's very strange to write, but it was really sort of fun when it happened. I smiled, which seems like a good sign. Kinda makes up for my boo-hoo post from yesterday, and also for the fact that I drove around yesterday like this:




Pants unbuttoned. Yup. Next I'm going to start wearing a greasy trucker cap and bending over so people can see my ass. It'll be a new TLC show--something like "White Trash Mommas" or "White Trash and Knocked Up!"

*To what summer fruit are you most looking forward?

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Pregnancy Woes

Warning! This is going to be a post that centers around pregnancy. But since I haven't given birth yet at least it won't have the words "mucus" or "tearing" in it. Except, of course, just then. 

1) It's 7:21 p.m. and I am already in my pajamas and in bed. Sigh. Whomever said that during the second trimester you get all your energy back is a liar. On most days I do feel more energy and less nausea. But, my friends, that is not true of every day, and certainly not true of all day every day. I guess I'm just getting prepped for what sleep deprivation feels like? So far, it feels awful. I've been dragging all day, with some dizziness this morning to boot. (Don't worry, that is apparently a normal symptom of pregnancy.)

2) To make myself feel better, I ate like crap today. Sigh #2. OK, I didn't eat like total crap, but I did eat three things of which I'm not very proud. (Yah, normally I feel pretty boastful and proud of my peanut butter toast breakfast--don't you?)

3) Part of the reason I ate like crap is that I was depressed because I am suddenly feeling like my regular clothes aren't fitting anymore. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Uh, but dude, you're pregnant. Duh your clothes aren't going to fit anymore." Point taken. But the realization that your clothes are getting too small is rarely something that one enjoys--particularly when that someone used to suffer from an eating disorder. Sighs #3 and #4. I'm going to have to buy maternity jeans, people. I'm going to have to buy new bras because my once tiny breasts have grown to a size that is actually capable of producing cleavage. (A big and new development for me.) Lying on my stomach is bordering on strange because my uterus is making its way north and displacing my once comfortable intestines, stomach, liver, etc., into new territory.

And finally, 4) I have more acne since I'm knocked up. On my nose. On my chin. On my shoulder, for f$%^'s sake.

I still have to feel grateful that my pregnancy journey has been monumentally more easy than lots of women, including those that struggle so profoundly with infertility. I also have to remind myself that there is a real baby in my belly, one that I suspect I will like an awful lot when she arrives. But WTF, shoulder acne?

*Where is the strangest place you've ever had a zit? Be honest--do you enjoy popping zits?

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Rando-Wednesday

Hey! It snowed! And it's snowing! Again! In other news, the snow looks kind of interesting today.






Looks funky, huh? I'm not sure if you can quite tell from the photos, but there is a gradation of colors in the snow, prolly from having snow freezing and then having snow fall on it again. In person it looks very prehistoric, like a whereabouts a sabertooth tiger would chill if he were looking for something to do in a blizzard.

I took these pictures as I walked to our car, which was parked on the main road so we didn't have to risk getting stuck on our side road from all the snow. You all will be impressed to know that I reinstalled a windshield wiper all by myself this morning. I've tried to do this before and failed, so my success today really meant a lot. Heh.

I took the following picture this morning after my bootcamp class, when I went to get a few things from Whole Foods and partook of an orange juice sample.




Whoops. Apparently I put my baby in grave danger this morning! And, actually, yesterday morning too, since that's when I first had the orange juice sample and noticed this sign. (Yesterday, however, there were Whole Foods employees near the sample and I was too scared to take a picture of this warning.)

Life is really dangerous when you're growing a person--I barely escaped this orange juice booby-trap today!!

And finally, because it's the only other picture I've taken recently, here is some seitan:




I ate this yesterday. It's a prepackaged kind of seitan, and I thought it was pretty tasty. But I did want to post it and admit to all my non-vegetarian readers and friends that I do--based at least on pictures like this one--understand why people think vegetarian food is disgusting. When I'm eating it I like to think about what my brothers or dad would say about this were they to see me eating it. Something funny and fecal-related.

*What do you eat that others find disgusting?

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Do-Over Tuesday

Remember last Tuesday? I mean, when it snowed 10-20 inches? Yah, well last night and today have been a repeat of that. David had to help me get the car out this morning so that I could go to my class at the gym. It probably sounds like I'm really intent on staying fit during pregnancy--which is largely true--but lately I really just need to get out of the house and see my friends from the gym. That sounds so sad when it write it out, but f-it, it's true! I hate being immobilized by the weather, and this first winter being up in our new house (in the mountains) has proven mentally challenging. When I lived in town it was always easy to get around Boulder either by car or by foot when it snowed. Living in the mountains has many advantages; getting stuck in snow storms is not one of them.

On the upside, trees sure do look pretty when it has just snowed. (Like I really give a f#$%.) (Wow that winter-induced bitterness keeps kicking in!)






In other news, I ain't got nothing to report. I've been glued, like I'm sure many of you, to the coverage of the events at the Boston marathon. Can I just say, in a moment of real honesty that could really lose me some followers here, that when something of this nature happens I really lose interest in _some_ bloggers who blog the usual "line?" I mean, sometimes when bloggers are truly upset about something it really comes through and you get a strong sense of their pain at the tragic events. Other times, however, I read a blogger's sentiments about an event and for whatever reason it just borders on pointless and rote rather than compelling and meaningful. Will someone else please admit to feeling anything similar, or is it just me?

Who knows--maybe this is just the pregnancy hormones talking. I was reading today that in some South-East Asian cultures they think there is such a thing as "meanness" of pregnancy, i.e. something about pregnancy that literally induces a meanness that likely wasn't there before. I can definitely attest to this, though it has lessened since I entered the second trimester. And, in case I had lunch with you or hung out with you during the first trimester, don't worry: I wasn't feeling mean the whole time, or even many times, but there were definitely a couple of occasions where I really felt a mean anger towards someone. Usually it was a stranger that did something idiotic, and luckily I knew at the time that it was irrational and hormonal, but still-- yet another reason (of 100 gazillion) I am thankful today, since that particular symptom has passed.

OK, long random rant over. I hope you all are safe and warm with those that you love. (And eating something comforting.)

*When is the last time you remember being mean or feeling mean?

Monday, April 15, 2013

Reallllllly?!?!







I would also just like to point out that the meteorologists said it wasn't even going to rain until noon. Yet somehow, it's been snowing since about six a.m. WTF? It's really starting to feel like someone is playing a joke or doing a mean experiment on us. As in, how much more f-ing crazy will people become when the advent of spring is teased and then retracted?

What's the weather like where you are? Oh yah, and don't laugh too hard over our snow if you live in Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, or Illinois. You're prolly going to get f-ed with snow later this week. (OK, I just crossed the line into bitter, didn't I?)

But seriously, I am four months pregnant this week and have probably just a few short weeks before my clothes aren't going to fit me anymore. I _need_ for summer to come so I can wear dresses and skirts, people!

In other news, the weekend was good but went unpictured. As you might recall, Friday night turned into an early evening at home. Saturday was slightly more busy, as I went to my class at the gym, drove down to Denver to have lunch with my friend Agniezska, and then drove back to Boulder to have dinner with David and our friends Julia and Brian.

On Sunday it was my plan to sleep in, but instead I woke up around 6:30 a.m. Oh well. David and I took a nice hike with Haruki, after which I went to the grocery store, came home, and spent the rest of the day watching movies and reading childbirth stories online. (BTW, holy f#@%!)

One other highlight? We took this picture of Haruki and sent it to our neighbors:




Apparently they had caught several mice but were leaving on vacation, so Haruki helped them out and carried their bag full of dead mice around (outside) for awhile. She's so mischievous!

*What did you pee on this weekend?

Friday, April 12, 2013

Friday Night Fun

But, not so much. Heh. Maybe pregnancy really is preparation for having a baby, because things have definitely slowed over here in the NCK household. To be fair, we were supposed to have dinner with my friend Heidi tonight but she was forced to cancel due to impending deadlines in her dental school program. At least that is what she told us. She's probably at some dental fair scamming free toothpastes and flosses. (Seriously. She loves that shit.)

Anyhow, just because our night is looking slow doesn't mean there weren't highlights of the day as a whole. My highlights included my bootcamp class this morning. I'm really going to miss going once my belly gets too big for jumping jacks, mountain climbers, and running drills. Mostly I'm going to miss seeing my girlfriends, with whom I gossip and complain in a fun and snarky way. 

Lunch today wasn't too shabby either, thanks to a return of kale, good bread, feta cheese, and some tofu from Alfalfa's.








Mmmm...feta. Still not nearly as good as the feta I ate in Annecy, France, but a creamy treat nonetheless.

After lunch, I cleaned the house. Boo. But I'd eaten too many animal crackers and decided that in order to take the edge off being full I'd better walk around, clean stuff, vacuum, and mop. So I guess overeating is sometimes a good idea?

In the afternoon I drove down to town with David, who had a faculty meeting. I was expecting that we'd stay in town until meeting Heidi for dinner, but since she canceled we cut our town excursion short. 

Not, however, before I had a chance to get a pedicure:




I know, right? What am I, like twelve? But it looked fun!

And lastly, a cute highlight of the day? Driving home with David when we saw a mini-herd of deer that included several baby/adolescent deer. We had to come to a stop to let them pass, so I got a pretty good shot of one of them.




A little mangy looking, but still really cute, right?

*What kinds of wildlife live near you? I don't want to freak out my mom in case she's reading, but one of our neighbors (about 1/3 mile away) caught this little cat on video outside their home:




That is not a house cat, people. In fact, it's a house cat and Ruki hunter. It's why David says we can't get another dog unless it's medium-sized or big. I say, get a small dog as insurance; the mountain lions will always go for the smaller prey and then we can be confident that Ruki won't get eaten:-)

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Post-Defense Pizza Party

Thanks for all your nice words and congratulations yesterday, friends! I also posted on Facebook that I'd defended my dissertation and was really surprised and happy to see how many people "liked" my status.

The defense itself went just about as I'd expected. I drank some black tea beforehand, so I think that helped me focus a bit instead of rambling on confusedly at every question they asked me. I was definitely a bit nervous right before we started too, though I have to say that being pregnant has kind of drained the anxiety out of me when it comes to anything non-baby related. In other words, I'm just too tired and deeply entrenched in thinking about being pregnant and having a baby to worry as much I as I used to about other stuff. Case in point? Yesterday afternoon before my defense I meant to prepare a bit but found myself being woken up by a text message from David. Oops. Well, I guess being well rested is just as important as remembering what you wrote in your dissertation, right?

Anyway, my final thought about having finished this last big hurdle in my PhD is that it doesn't feel like that big of a deal. I mean, before I got into a PhD program having a PhD seemed like a really big deal. But, as per usual with me, now that I've done it it just doesn't seem that impressive. That sounds more downtrodden and depressing than I really feel, since I do feel really happy to be done, and really happy to have my PhD. But it just doesn't seem as ominously impressive, if that makes any sense?

After my defense, as I mentioned yesterday, I went to dinner at Pizzeria Locale with my parents and David. In case I haven't mentioned it before, PL is a relatively new and extremely popular restaurant on Pearl Street, made popular by their enormous pizza oven that was shipped from Naples, Italy. The pizza and ingredients are incredibly fresh, and in general it's worth the wait time (which there always is) for a table.

Last night I tried their Finocchietta pizza without the finocchietta, which is a type of meat. So, in essence, my pizza consisted of broccoli rabe, chili flakes, and smoked mozzarella cheese.






Soooo good, people. Try smoked mozzarella on pizza asap. It was just as good for leftover lunch today, too.

Now I'm thinking about another quick afternoon nap before I go in for a shift at the Humane Society. I wonder if fewer dogs will pee on me now that I'm a PhD...

*Do you often feel less impressed by certain goals once you've accomplished them?

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Dinner Returns

Do you ever borrow your partner/bf/gf/husband/wife/bff's car? David's car has all-wheel drive, so you can bet that if it's snowing I'm driving his car instead of my busted out Honda Accord. OK, my car isn't really "busted out." It's actually the nicest car I've ever owned, and the most reliable, largely because even though it's from, like, 2000, it used to be my mom's car.

Ahem. Anyway. This morning it was, as I mentioned yesterday, snowing. Thankfully the forecasters overestimated the total snowfall, but still it was wet and slushy out there this morning and I took David's car to the gym and to run an errand. This never happens when I drive David's car:




A tank above half full? WTF? Maybe Jesus really did come back on Easter?!! What a nice treat to _not_ have to stop by the gas station on a snowy day. (Maybe these pregnancy hormones are making me into more of a positive thinker?)

This was the scene in downtown Boulder:






Guess I won't be wearing my flip flops just yet.

Something I did get treated to recently? The smell of something actually cooking in my house! (More proof RE: Jesus' second coming.) I haven't cooked a "real" dinner in literally two and a half months; the  morning sickness just made it too difficult to determine what I'd be OK with eating ahead of time, and in the moment I always got lazy and tired and ate soup or something for dinner.

But...not today! Today I mangled together some beans, tomatoes, and spices for some chili.




The jury is still out on this little pot of fiber since it's still simmering away on the stove. (That's to let all the flavors combine; I'm so Emeril today!) In the meantime, I had to eat some of these/this:




But all I want is a comforting bowl of chili... I know it will taste better if I wait, but...

*Have you put on your flip flops yet? (If yes, F-you!)

P.S. Today Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream is celebrating thirty-five years in business and you can get a free scoop at any of their scoop shops. Please take advantage of this in my stead since it's like, all woolly mammoths and ice age up in here.